The Register's Editorial: No winners in outcome of Zimmerman trial

In this image from video, George Zimmerman smiles after a not guilty verdict was handed down in his trial at the Seminole County Courthouse, Sunday, July 14, 2013, in Sanford, Fla. Neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman was cleared of all charges Saturday in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager whose killing unleashed furious debate across the U.S. over racial profiling, self-defense and equal justice. (AP Photo/TV Pool)

George Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch captain, armed with a gun, who decided to confront an African-American teenager he thought looked suspicious. He did this even though a 911 dispatcher told him that wasn't necessary. The Florida man ultimately shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last year. The boy was walking alone after buying snacks at a nearby convenience store.

Martin was not alive to tell his side of the story during the trial that ended Saturday night. Zimmerman's defense attorneys claimed that Martin attacked their client, forcing Zimmerman to defend himself with his gun. In Florida, a person who is not engaged in a crime and is attacked has no duty to retreat. He has the right to "meet force with force, including deadly force" if he believes it is necessary to protect himself.

Saturday night, a jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

The verdict is difficult for many Americans to accept. Zimmerman's decision to carry a gun, get out of his truck and follow a boy ultimately resulted in the teenager's death. Demonstrators assembled across the street from the courthouse on Saturday night expressed dismay and outrage. "The system has failed!" some chanted.

Although not everyone agrees with the jury's verdict, and Florida may have some troubling laws on its books, the judicial system did not fail during the Zimmerman trial.

The televised trial allowed the public to see first-hand just how exhaustively thorough such trials can be. Numerous witnesses provided testimony. Viewers heard every attorney's objection and judge's ruling. The jury was sequestered for the duration of the trial and jurors' deliberations to ensure they were not harassed or influenced.

The television coverage of the trial showed in a very real way the legal concept of reasonable doubt - one of the foundations of our nation's criminal trials. When you saw the lead detective testifying that he thought Zimmerman came across as believable during the defendant's version of events and Zimmerman's statements of innocence, some viewers began to ask themselves whether the prosecution was meeting its burden of proving the case "beyond a reasonble doubt."

Though Zimmerman may not be headed to prison, he has suffered consequences, nonetheless. He has dealt with, and will continue to deal with, threats against himself and his family. He will spend the rest of his life knowing that he killed an unarmed teen. For years to come, Zimmerman's name will be synonymous with a shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality in America.

The prosecution of Zimmerman sends a clear message to those who think the Second Amendment right to bear arms should have no restrictions. Zimmerman's case showed you can be charged when you kill someone, and if you think you can shoot someone, call it self-defense and face no scrutiny, think again.

In response to the verdict, President Obama said Americans should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to "stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis" and prevent such tragedies in the future.

That includes laws that in effect encourage the kind of action Zimmerman took when he got out of his car, followed a teen and ended the teen's life.

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The Register's Editorial: No winners in outcome of Zimmerman trial

George Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch captain, armed with a gun, who decided to confront an African-American teenager he thought looked suspicious. He did this even though a 911 dispatcher told